Gio Gonzalez (7-9, 4.13 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (11-4, 3.81 ERA) start in the second of a two-game series between the Washington Nationals (66-46) and the Cleveland Indians (63-47) at Nationals Park. The Indians won the last game 3-1, and Cleveland leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 10 and can be seen on STOh and MASN.
Gonzalez pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out seven and walking one in a 5-1 win over the Giants. Tomlin went 4.2 innings, surrendering seven runs, striking out two and walking two in a 13-7 defeat to the Yankees in his last outing. Mike Napoli (.253, 71 Rs, 28 HRs, 79 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Washington is a -133 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Nationals have recorded an overall money line of +85 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 56-31. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 8-3 and 10-5 records as the favorite and SU, respectively. The Nationals have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the AL, averaging 5.5 runs per game. They average 4.7 runs per game on the season. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play Washington. The Nationals are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 3.5 runs per home game. The Nationals are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.158 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Nationals, who lead the NL in strikeouts per game with 9.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Cleveland has a 15-13 record and an overall money line of +483. Cleveland is undefeated as the underdog against National League opponents with a 2-0 record and 10-6 SU. The Indians allow 4.2 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.9 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Indians are the best in the AL on the road with an average of 7.9 hits allowed per away game.
The Indians lead the season series, 2-1. The Nationals have a 50-35 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Tomlin takes the mound. Gonzalez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a very good 21-10 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WAS, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Washington is 28-18, while Cleveland is 25-24.
The Indians are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Nationals have a record of 19-26 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Nationals are 50-12. The Indians have a 49-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 10th, Washington is in the top 10 of the league in runs, scoring 523 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top five with 547.
Ranking 13th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 351 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 391.
When the Nationals hit at least one home run, they are 52-25, well-matched with the Indians who are 46-29 when hitting one or more homers.
